“Silence! I kill
you!”
This are the words of
Achmed the Dead Terrorist, one of the puppets of
Ventriloquist, Jeff Dunham.
No!
This blog post
is about the profile of Ajmal Amir Kasab, the Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist, who was executed by hanging in the high-security
Yerwada Jail in Pune, India on Wednesday 21 November at 7:30am. I nicknamed him
as, “AJMAL THE DEAD TERRORIST”. Kasab is now dead together with other terrorists like Alwaki, John Allen Muhammad, Osama Bin Laden, Hamam El-Kamouny, Amrozi,
Imam Samudra and Mukhlas.
I will post about his profile from Wikipedia,
before giving my thoughts of his execution on another post. I had already
posted another blog post on the Survivors and Victims’ Families of the 2008
Mumbai Attacks.
 |
|
Ajmal Kasab
|
 |
| Image of Ajmal Kasab, one of the ten terrorists involved in the 2008 Mumbai attacks at the Victoria Terminus station taken from the CCTV footage at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station. On 3 May 2010, Kasab was found guilty of 80 offences, including numerous counts of murder, waging war against India and possessing explosives. For 4 of these counts he was sentenced to death. He was hanged on 21 November 2012 at 7:30 am. |
Born
|
Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab
13 July 1987 Faridkot, Okara, Punjab, Pakistan |
Died
|
21 November 2012 (aged 25)
Pune, Maharashtra, India |
Cause of death
|
Execution by hanging
|
Nationality
|
Pakistani
|
Criminal penalty
|
Death sentence
|
Criminal status
|
Executed by hanging at 7:30 a.m. (IST) on 21 November
2012
Place - Yerwada Central Jail, Pune |
Motive
|
Terrorism
|
Conviction(s)
|
Murder
Conspiracy Waging war against India Possession of explosives |
Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab (Punjabi/Urdu: محمد اجمل
امیر قصاب;
13 July 1987 – 21 November 2012) was a Pakistani militant and a member of
the Lashkar-e-Taiba Islamist group, through which he took part in the 2008
Mumbai attacks in India. Kasab was the only attacker captured alive by police.
Kasab
was born in Faridkot, Pakistan to a family belonging to the Qassab community.
He left his home in 2005, engaging in petty crime and armed robbery with a
friend. In late 2007, he and his friend encountered members of
Jama'at-ud-Da'wah, the political wing of Lashkar-e-Taiba, distributing
pamphlets, and were persuaded to join.
On
3 May 2010, Kasab was found guilty of 80 offences, including murder, waging war
against India, possessing explosives, and other charges. On 6 May 2010, the
same trial court sentenced him to death on four counts and to a life sentence
on five counts. Kasab's death sentence was upheld by the Bombay High Court on
21 February 2011. The verdict was upheld by the Supreme Court of India on 29
August 2012. Kasab was hanged on 21 November 2012 at 7:30 a.m. and buried at
Yerwada Jail in Pune.
Early
life
Kasab
was born in Faridkot village in the Okara District of Punjab, Pakistan, to Amir
Shahban Kasab and Noor Illahi. His father ran a snack cart
while his elder brother, Afzal, worked as a labourer in Lahore. His elder
sister, Rukaiyya Husain, was married and lived in the village. A younger
sister, Suraiyya, and brother, Munir, lived in Faridkot with their parents. The
family belongs to the Qassab community.
Kasab
briefly joined his brother in Lahore and then returned to Faridkot. He left
home after a fight with his father in 2005. He had asked for new clothes on Eid,
but his father could not provide them, which made him angry. He engaged in
petty crime with his friend Muzaffar Lal Khan, moving on to armed robbery. On
21 December 2007, Eid al-Adha, they were in Rawalpindi trying to buy weapons
when they encountered members of Jama'at-ud-Da'wah, the political wing of
Lashkar-e-Taiba, distributing pamphlets. They decided to sign up for training
with the Lashkar-e-Taiba, ending up at their base camp, Markaz Taiba.
An
interrogator and deputy commissioner of the Mumbai Police stated that Kasab spoke rough
Hindi and almost no English. Some sources said his father asked him to join
Lashkar-e-Taiba so that he could use the money they gave him to support the
family. But Kasab's father told reporters, "I don't sell my sons." Zaki-ur-Rehman
Lakhvi, a senior commander of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, reportedly offered to pay
his family Rs.150,000 for his participation in the attacks. Another report said
the 23-year-old was recruited from his home, in part, based on a pledge by
recruiters to pay Rs.100,000 to his family if he became a martyr. Other sources
put the reward at US $4,000.
Villagers
of Okara claimed on camera that he was at their village six months before the
Mumbai attack. They said that he asked his mother to bless him as he was going
for Jihad, and claimed that he demonstrated his wrestling skills to a few
village boys that day.
Training
Main
article: 2008_Mumbai_attacks, section on Training
Ajmal
Kasab is alleged to be among a group of 24 men who received training in marine
warfare at a remote camp in mountainous Muzaffarabad, Azad Kashmir in Pakistan.
Part of the training is reported to have taken place on the Mangla Dam
reservoir.
Zaki-ur-Rehman
Lakhvi, a senior commander of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, reportedly offered to pay
his family Rs.150,000 for his participation in the attacks. Another report said
the 23-year-old was recruited from his home, in part, based on a pledge by
recruiters to pay Rs.100,000 to his family when he became a martyr. Other
sources put the reward to US $4,000.
Stages of training
This batch of 26 went through the following stages of
training:
- Psychological: Indoctrination to Islamist propaganda, including compiled footage of Indian atrocities in Jammu & Kashmir, and imagery of atrocities suffered by Muslims in India, Chechnya, Palestine and across the globe.
- Basic Combat: Lashkar's basic combat training and terror methodology course, the Daura Aam.
- Advanced Training: Selected to undergo advanced combat training at a camp near Mansehra, a course the organisation calls the Daura Khaas. According to an unnamed source at the US Defense Department this includes advanced weapons and explosives training supervised by retired personnel of the Pakistan Army, along with survival training and further indoctrination.
- Commando Training: Finally, an even smaller group selected for specialised commando tactics training and marine navigation training given to the Fedayeen unit selected in order to target Mumbai.
From the batch
of 25, 10 were handpicked for the Mumbai mission. They also received training
in swimming and sailing, besides the use of high-end weapons and explosives
under the supervision of LeT commanders. According to a media report citing an
unnamed former Defence Department Official of the US, the intelligence agencies
of the US had determined that former officers from Pakistan's Army and
Inter-Services Intelligence agency assisted actively and continuously in
training. They were given blueprints of all the four targets – Taj Mahal
Palace & Tower, Oberoi Trident hotel and Nariman House.
Involvement
in 2008 Mumbai attacks
Kasab
was seen on CCTV
during his attacks at Chhatrapati
Shivaji Terminus along with another recruit, Ismail Khan. Kasab
reportedly told the police that they wanted to replicate the Islamabad Marriott
hotel attack, and reduce the Taj Hotel to rubble, replicating the 9/11 attacks in India.
Kasab
and his accomplice Abu Dera Ismail Khan, then aged 25, attacked the Chhatrapati
Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) railway station. They
then moved on to attack a police vehicle (a white Toyota Qualis) at Cama Hospital, in which senior Mumbai
police officers (Maharashtra ATS
Chief Hemant Karkare,
encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar
and Additional Commissioner of Mumbai Police Ashok Kamte) were travelling. After killing
them in a gun battle and taking two constables hostage in the Qualis, Kasab and
Ismail Khan drove towards the Metro cinema. Kasab joked about the bulletproof
vests worn by the police and killed one constable when his mobile phone rang.
The two fired some shots into a crowd gathered at the Metro Cinema. They then
drove to Vidhan Bhavan where they fired more shots. Their vehicle had a tire
puncture, so they stole a silver Škoda Laura and drove towards Girgaum Chowpatty.
The
D B Marg police had received a message from police control at about 10 pm, that two heavily armed men had gunned down commuters
at CST. 15 policemen from D B Marg were sent to Chowpatty to set up a double
barricade on Marine Drive. The Škoda reached Chowpatty and halted 40 to 50 feet
from the barricade. It reversed and attempted a U-turn. A shootout ensued and
Ismail Khan was killed. Kasab lay motionless playing dead. Assistant
sub-inspector Tukaram Omble,
armed only with a lathi, charged the vehicle, being shot five
times. Omble held onto Kasab's weapon, enabling Omble's colleagues to capture
Kasab alive. Omble died from the bullet wounds. A mob gathered and attacked the
two terrorists, which was captured on video.
Initially
Kasab pretended to be dead and was being transported to the Nair Hospital when a police officer
discovered Kasab was breathing. Seeing the mutilated body of another slain
terrorist Kasab begged doctors to put him on saline, saying "I do not want
to die". The doctors who treated Kasab said he had no bullet wounds.
Kasab
told police he was trained to "kill to the last breath", Later, after
interrogation in the hospital by the police, he said: "Now, I do not want
to live", requesting the interrogators to kill him for the safety of his
family in Pakistan, who could be killed or tortured for his surrender to Indian
police. (Fidayeen suicide squad
terrorists were instructed not to be captured and interrogated, use aliases
instead of their real names, and hide their nationality. He is also quoted as
saying "I have done right, I have no regrets". Reports also surfaced
that the group planned to escape safely after the attack.)
Kasab
told interrogators that all through the operation, the Lashkar headquarters
from Karachi, Pakistan,
remained in touch with the group, calling their phones through a
voice-over-internet service. Investigators succeeded in reconstructing the
group's journey through the Garmin GPS
that was found on Kasab. The email sent from a group calling itself the Deccan Mujahideen claiming responsibility
was traced to a Russian proxy which was traced back to Lahore with the help of the FBI.
Nationality
Police
announced Kasab was a Pakistani national based on his confession and other
evidence. Several reporters visited Kasab's village and verified the facts
provided by him. Former Pakistan Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif confirmed that
Kasab was from Faridkot village in Pakistan, and criticised President Zardari
for cordoning off the village and not allowing his parents to meet anyone.
Journalist
Saeed Shah travelled to Kasab's village and produced national identity card
numbers of his parents. His parents left town on the night of 3 December 2008.
Mumbai Joint Police Commissioner of Crime Rakesh Maria said Kasab was from the
Faridkot village in the Okara district of Pakistan's Punjab province, and was
the son of Mohammed Amir Kasab.
The
Mumbai Police said much of the information that Kasab provided proved to be
accurate. He disclosed the location of a fishing trawler, MV Kuber, that
the terrorists used to enter Mumbai's coastal waters. He told investigators
where his team put the ship captain's body, a satellite phone and a global-positioning
device, which the police found.
Pakistani
officials, including President Asif Ali Zardari, initially denied Ajmal Kasab
was Pakistani. Pakistani government officials attempted to erase evidence that
there was a Lashkar-e-Taiba office in Deepalpur. The office was hurriedly
closed in the week of 7 December. On the night of 3 December 2008, the parents
were whisked away by a bearded Mullah, and since then, there was
evidence of a cover-up by plainclothes police. Villagers changed their stories,
and reporters who visit there were intimidated. In early December, Kasab's
father admitted in an interview that Kasab was his son.
In
January 2009, Pakistan's National Security Advisor Mahmud Ali Durrani admitted
to Kasab being a Pakistani citizen while speaking to the CNN-IBN news channel.
The Pakistan Government then acknowledged that Ajmal Kasab was a Pakistani, but
also announced that Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani had fired Durrani for
"failing to take Gilani and other stakeholders into confidence"
before making this information public, and for "a lack of coordination on
matters of national security."
Police
interrogation
Naming
confusion
On
6 December 2008, The Hindu reported that the police officers who
interrogated him did not speak his language, Urdu, and misinterpreted his caste
origin "kasai", meaning butcher, to be a surname, writing it as
"Kasav".
The Times of India reported a different version of the error. The paper
stated that the police officers correctly understood that Ajmal Kasab does not
have a surname. In order to satisfy an administrative requirement that people
have surnames, the officers asked Kasab for his father's profession, and
decided to use "butcher", or "Kasab" in Urdu, as his
surname.
The Hindu
referred to him as either "Mohammad Ajmal Amir, son of Mohammad Amir
Iman" or "Mohammad Ajmal Amir 'Kasab'".
List
of various names used to refer to Kasab:
- Ajmal Kasab
- Azam Amir Kasav
- Ajmal Qasab
- Ajmal Amir Kamal
- Ajmal Amir Kasab
- Azam Ameer Qasab
- Mohammad Ajmal Qasam
- Ajmal Mohammed Amir Kasab
- Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasar
- Amjad Amir Kamaal
- Mohammed Ajmal Amir Qasab
Confessions
Ammunition, a satellite phone and a layout plan of Chhatrapati
Shivaji Terminus was recovered from Kasab. He described how his team
arrived at Mumbai from Karachi via Porbandar. He said that they had received revolvers, AK-47s,
ammunition
and dried fruit from their coordinator. Kasab
told the police that they wanted to replicate the Marriott
hotel attack in Islamabad, and reduce
the Taj Hotel to rubble, replicating the 11 September
attacks in US. Kasab told police that his team targeted Nariman
House, where the Chabad center was located, because it was frequented by
Israelis, who were targeted to "avenge atrocities on Palestinians."
Kasab
told the police that he and his associate, Ismail Khan, were the ones who shot
Anti-Terror Squad chief Hemant Karkare,
encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar
and Additional Commissioner Ashok Kamte. Kasab entered the Taj posing as a
student from Mauritius and stored explosives in one of
the hotel's rooms. In December 2009, Kasab retracted his confession in court,
claiming he had come to Mumbai to act in Bollywood films and was arrested by
the Mumbai police three days before the attacks.
Confessions
on video
Kasab
repeatedly asked the interrogators to turn the camera off and warned them he
would not speak otherwise. Nonetheless the following confessions were recorded
on video:
When police asked Kasab what he understood about jihad, Kasab told the interrogators "it [Jihad] is about killing and getting killed and becoming famous." "Come, kill and die after a killing spree. By this one will become famous and will also make God proud."
According
to an officer Kasab spoke Pathani Hindi, and told the police that he threw up
the moment he saw all the blood and gore. "Kasab said that he could not
bear the sight of dead bodies and after creating enough havoc wanted to go back
to Pakistan," the officer said.
"We
were told that our big brother India is so rich and we are dying of poverty and
hunger. My father sells dahi wada in a stall in Lahore and we did not even get
enough food to eat from his earnings. I was promised that once they knew that I
was successful in my operation, they would give 150,000 rupees (around US$
3,352), to my family," said Kasab.
Police
said they were shocked by his readiness to switch loyalties after he was
apprehended. "If you give me regular meals and money I will do the same
for you that I did for them," he said.
"When
we asked whether he knew any verses from the Quran that described jihad, Kasab
said he did not," police said. "In fact he did not know much about
Islam or its tenets," according to a police source.
Face
to face with Abu Jundal
On
9 August 2012, Kasab was brought face-to-face with Abu
Jundal, the handler of Mumbai attacks, at the Arthur Road jail where they
identified each other. Kasab also admitted that Jundal had taught him Hindi.
Other
reports
In
a press conference, the Mumbai city police commissioner said "The person
we have caught alive is certainly a Pakistani. They were all trained by ex-army
officers, some for a year, some for more than a year". On 23 November 2008
they set sail from Karachi unarmed to be picked up by a larger vessel. They
hijacked the Indian fishing trawler Kuber and set sail for Mumbai.
The Times
reported on 3 December 2008 that Indian police were going to submit Kasab to a narco
analysis test to definitively determine his nationality.
According
to DNA India, Kasab began reading the autobiography of India's
non-violent leader Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in early March 2009, in response
to coaxing by prison guards.
 |
| Ujjwal Nikam |
Legal
issues
Several
Indian lawyers refused to represent Kasab citing ethical concerns. A resolution
was passed unanimously by the Bombay Metropolitan Magistrate Court's Bar
Association, which has more than 1,000 members, saying that none of its members
would defend any of the accused of the terror attacks. Other bar associations
passed similar resolutions. The Hindu nationalist group Shiv Sena threatened
lawyers against representing him. When one attorney, Ashok Sarogi, hinted that
he would be willing to represent Kasab, Shiv Shena members protested outside
his home and pelted it with stones, forcing him to retract. In December 2008,
the Indian Chief Justice K. G. Balakrishnan said that for a fair trial, Kasab
needed a lawyer.
Kasab
wrote to the Pakistani High Commission in India requesting help and legal aid.
In the letter, he confirmed he and the nine slain terrorists were Pakistani. He
asked the Pakistani High Commission to take custody of the body of fellow
terrorist Ismail Khan. Pakistani officials confirmed the receipt of the letter
and were reported to be studying it. No further updates were given.
On
April 1, 2009, Senior Advocate Anjali Waghmare agreed to represent Kasab,
despite Shiv Sena activists having protested and stoned her home.
Trial
His
conviction was based on CCTV footage showing him striding across the
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus with an AK-47 and a backpack. Towards the end of
December 2008, Ujjwal Nikam was appointed as Public Prosecutor for trying Kasab
and in January 2009 M. L. Tahiliyani was appointed the judge for the case.
Indian investigators filed an 11,000 page Chargesheet against Kasab on 25
February 2009. Due to the fact that the chargesheet was written in Marathi and
English, Kasab requested an Urdu translation of the charge sheet. He was
charged with murder, conspiracy and waging war against India along with other
crimes. His trial was originally scheduled to start on 15 April 2009 but was
postponed as his lawyer, Anjali Waghmare was dismissed for a conflict of
interest. It resumed on 17 April 2009 after Abbas Kazmi was assigned as his new
defence counsel. On 20 April 2009, the prosecution submitted a list of charges
against him, including the murder of 166 people. On 6 May 2009, Kasab pleaded
not guilty to 86 charges. The same month he was identified by eyewitnesses who
testified witnessing his actual arrival and him firing at the victims. Later
the doctors who treated him also identified him. On 2 June 2009, Kasab told the
judge he also understood the Marathi language.
In
June 2009, the special court issued non-bailable warrants against 22 absconding
accused including Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafeez Saeed and chief of
operations of Lashkar-e-Taiba, Zaki-ur-Rehman Laqvi. On 20 July 2009 Kasab
retracted his non-guilty plea and pleaded guilty to all charges. On 18 December
2009, he retracted his guilty plea and claimed that he was framed and his
confession was obtained by torture. Instead he claimed to have come to Mumbai
20 days before the attacks and was simply strolling at Juhu beach when police
arrested him. The trial concluded on 31 March 2010 and on 3 May the verdict was
pronounced — Kasab was found guilty of murder, conspiracy, and of waging
war against India (which also carried the death penalty). On 6 May 2010, he was
sentenced to death.
A
Bombay High Court bench, composed of Justice Ranjanaa Desai and Justice Ranjit
More, heard Kasab's appeal against the death penalty and upheld the sentence
given by the trial court in their verdict on 21 February 2011. On 30 July 2011,
Kasab moved to Supreme Court of India, challenging his conviction and sentence
in the case. Thus, a bench composed of Justice Aftab Alam and Justice
Chandramouli Kr. Prasad stayed the orders of the Bombay High Court so as to
follow the due process of law, and started hearing the case.
On
29 August 2012, Kasab was found guilty of waging war and was sentenced to death
by the Supreme Court of India.
 |
|
Relatives of victims of the July 26, 2008
bomb blasts in Ahmedabad burn a picture of Ajmal Amir Kasab during a
demonstration welcoming his death sentence.
|
Execution
Kasab's
plea for clemency was rejected by President Pranab Mukherjee on 5 November 2012.
On 7 November, Minister of Home Affairs Sushilkumar Shinde confirmed the
President's rejection of the petition. The following day, the Maharashtra state
government was formally notified and requested to take action. The date of 21
November was then fixed for the execution, and the Indian government faxed
their decision to the Pakistani Foreign Office.
Everything
so far on secret basis, Kasab was formally informed of his execution on 12
November, after which he requested government officials to inform his mother.
On the night of 18–19 November, a senior prison official at Arthur Road Jail in
Mumbai read Kasab's death warrant to him, informing him at the same time that
his petition for clemency had been rejected. Kasab was then asked to sign his
death warrant, which he did. He was secretly transferred under heavy guard to Yerwada
Jail in Pune, arriving in the early morning of 19 November. The death and
funeral of nationalist politician Bal Thackeray also aided in diverting
attention from Kasab. An officer at Arthur Road Jail stated anonymously:
"Throughout the journey from Mumbai to Pune, he did not cause any trouble. Kasab's attitude was of resignation when he came to know that his mercy petition was rejected by the president. Kasab did not shed a single tear during the last few days."
Only
the jail superintendent at Yerwada was made aware of Kasab's identity. Kasab
was placed in a special cell when he was at Yerwada and no other inmates were
informed of his presence. It was only a few minutes before Kasab's execution
that the executioner was informed whom he would be hanging.
The punishment to Kasab is a true tribute to the victims and martyrs of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.—Maharashtra Home Minister R. R. Patil
Though
reportedly nervous in the final minutes before his execution, Kasab remained
quiet and offered prayers. He was hanged on 21 November 2012 at 7:30, according
to an announcement by Home Minister Shinde. Kasab's execution by the
Maharashtra government happened barely two weeks after President Pranab
Mukherjee rejected his mercy petition on November 5."
After
the government contemplated burial at sea, the decision was finally made to
bury Kasab at Yerwada Jail. Following his execution, Kasab's body was given to
a maulvi for
burial in accordance with Islamic rites. Ansar
Burney, a human rights activist in Pakistan, later offered to help
repatriate Kasab's body to Pakistan citing humanitarian reasons. The Indian
government stated it would consider a formal application if offered. Shinde
later stated that Kasab's body was buried in India because Pakistan had refused
to claim it.
 |
|
Members
of the Bajrang Dal holding posters of Mohammed Kasab, lone surviving gunman of
the 2008 Mumbai attacks and Mohammad Afzal Guru, a Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist
convicted of conspiracy in the December 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament,
as they shout slogans and celebrate the execution of Pakistan-born Mohammed
Kasab in New Delhi on Wednesday. AFP
|
Reaction
Authorities
in Uttar Pradesh banned all celebrations and public gatherings and placed the
state on high alert in response. Similarly, the Coimbatore City Police
took a group of people in Coimbatore into preventive custody for celebrating
Kasab's death. K. Unnikrishnan, father of Major Sandeep
Unnikrishnan, said though the execution was necessary, it was not
something to "rejoice over" and that the ensuing celebrations were
"foolishness."
In
Pakistan, the general and official government response was muted, with the
media treating the execution as another news item, according to The Hindu.
Though some journalists attempted to elicit statements from villagers in
Kasab's village of Faridkot, they met with a hostile response. A senior LeT
commander issued an anonymous statement, saying Kasab was a hero who would
"inspire more fighters to follow his path." The Pakistani Taliban's
spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan issued a statement threatening Indians with retaliation
and declaring Kasab would be avenged. Ehsan also made demands for Kasab's body
to be returned to his family. "If they don't return his body to us or his
family we will capture Indians and will not return their bodies."
While
commending on the well appreciated role of two women officers in the smooth
handling of the execution, Patil later responded to threats to avenge Kasab's
death by stating that anybody daring to attack the soil of Maharashtra would
meet the same fate.
Hafiz Saeed
and thousands of others offered ghayabana namaz-e-janaza (funeral
prayers in absentia) for Kasab at a Jamaat-ud-Dawah session in Muridke. Hundreds of others in Srinagar also offered similar prayers at
the appeal of Syed Ali Geelani.
Pakistan
Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Proceedings
Mudassir
Lakhvi, headmaster of the Government Elementary School in Faridkot village,
Okara, appeared before the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on May 9, 2014, during
the trial of seven suspects, (Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal,
Hammad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younus Anjum), accused
of involvement in the attacks on Nov 26, 2008. He claimed that Ajmal Kasab he
knew is alive, and he had met Ajmal only a few days ago.
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